Eat Seasonally
& Keep the Weight You Lose Off for Good!
I’m constantly delighted by the perfection in nature! Every season our bodies are thrown off balance due to an excess of vata, pitta, or kapha. And, each season, the intelligence in the world provides exactly the foods we need to return to balance. Just as an icy drink will cool down a hot drink, and a hot liquid will melt ice, eating seasonally will pacify (or lessen) an imbalance. According to your constitution and the season of the year, certain foods will help bring you back to center, assist you in feeling more peaceful, quiet, and calm. But eating summer foods in winter, or winter foods in summer, will exacerbate (or increase) imbalance, leading to anxiety, fearfulness, and distress. Bottom line: excess creates imbalance, eating seasonally returns us back to center, and when in balance, the body knows how to heal itself, and to release excess weight.
Imagine going to the farmers’ market and buying and eating what’s in season, and maintaining your healthy weight. According to Ayurveda, spring is the perfect time to release excess weight. Nature also has a built-in plan to keep the weight you lose off for good. I’m delighted to report that of the 8,000 people throughout the nation I have mentored in person or influenced through radio and TV—including a slew of high-profile celebrity clients—70 percent have released 5 to 40 percent of their body weight and kept it off for six years or more by making new choices and becoming their own weight loss heroes. I just completed the manuscript for my new weight loss book that demonstrates how to create your healthy weight. I’ve become my own hero, thousands of my clients have done it, and now it’s your turn. Sign up for my newsletter and I’ll keep you informed about the release date of my new book.
Spring (excess kapha time)
During this naturally damp soggy time of the year, just when the snow begins melting off the mountains, the air begins to warm, and you’re pulling out your spring wardrobe, we need to lessen kapha. Fortunately, heavy foods lose their appeal, and appetites decrease. Fat that kept you warm all winter metabolizes more easily. Crispy foods: celery, carrots, and bean sprouts—precisely what we’re in the mood to eat—these delicious crunchy foods, plus Swiss chard, artichokes, and giant bulbs of garlic begin appearing at the farmers’ market.
Eating seasonally minimizes the need for transported or packaged items
Every Wednesday and Saturday morning, right down the road from where I live on Maui, there’s a community party going on, rain or shine. The farmers show up with their wares. Music, snacks, treats, and all the locally grown seasonal fruits and veggies are on display at reasonable prices. I’m grateful for the organic, local, and seasonal fare, but you can still eat seasonally even if you don’t have a farmers’ market in your area. In my new weight loss book, there are seasonal food guidelines available, according to the wisdom of Ayurveda. Eating seasonally, whether your constitution is vata, pitta, or kapha, will bring your constitution into balance.
Summer (excess pitta time)
The ground is drier; leaves are back on vines, bushes, and trees. The sun is bright, and gorgeous salad greens appear. It’s miraculous that simply by eating seasonal foods, pitta is pacified. Spinach, arugula, and crunchy romaine and fruits such as strawberries, apples, pears, and plums show up at the farmers’ market. Then, we’re lucky in cherries for six weeks.
I do not have the words to explain how much I love cherries. For six sweet weeks each year, in May and June, just when most of us are in the mood to eat fresh fruit, beautiful, juicy, bright red and yellow cherries appear. Soon after, out came the down jackets. Days get shorter—there’s a chill in the air—evenings are cooler. Soups, baked veggies, and stews suddenly taste great. The chill of colder weather is on its way.
Fall has arrived, winter is approaching (excess vata is everywhere)
Vendors at the farmers’ market are selling sweet potatoes, pumpkins, nuts, and seeds. Flavors are stronger and more developed, textures are as they are meant to be, so we can feel satisfied eating a little less.
But if bringing balance to your constitution, and getting the most scrumptious, healthiest food available hasn’t already convinced you to make a point of eating seasonally, think of your wallet.
Another big benefit of eating seasonally is how much money we save. Local, seasonal food items cost less for farmers and distribution companies to harvest and get to your farmers’ market or grocery store, and that savings is passed onto the consumer. When we buy what's in season, the amount of money we spend on food goes down. What’s more, by eating seasonally, you’re buying food that's at the peak of flavor.
To find out more about vata, pitta, and kapha and your unique constitution, take the dosha quiz; it’s available on my site. Once you understand your constitution and know what’s in season, becoming a discerning eater becomes second nature.
Love,
Cheryl
Cheryl Sindell
Global Nutritionist, Consumers’ Reporter, and Weight-loss Mentor. I studied at The University of California, Los Angeles. The American University of Complementary Medicine in Los Angeles, California, and The Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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